Concerns over Britain's food supplies grow as growers struggle with water shortage

A massive cloud of dust swirled around a green-red combine harvester as it inched its way across a desiccated field, a stark indication that UK farmer John Pawsey's land was facing severe difficulties, with Pawsey himself noting that the land "suddenly, completely dried out".

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For weeks, the drought had persisted on his farm in Suffolk, a county in eastern England, with Pawsey remarking that the dry spell "just seems to have gone on for ever".

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English farmers, including Pawsey, were grappling with the driest July on record, according to the Met Office weather agency, which was unwelcome news for those who had only seen meager yields of crops such as oats, wheat, and vetch.

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Concerns about food security had taken center stage in Britain's headlines amid a series of heatwaves this year, with farmers like Pawsey facing significant challenges.

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Pawsey's yields were down by 25 to 30 percent, he said, adding "All of our fears were realised when we got our combines into the field and realised that actually the yield was … between 25 and 30 percent down".

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His family had been tilling the soil in Suffolk since his Scottish great-grandfather moved there, one of many farm workers who flocked south following the late 19th century agricultural depression, and now, at 62, Pawsey was navigating a turbulent future, admitting "I am worried about the coming years".

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The drought was the latest in a series of weather-related challenges to hit the nation's farmers over the past five years, and Pawsey urged food growers to adapt, viewing the changing climate as an "opportunity" for dynamic farmers.

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His organic farm had experimented with new crops, such as fava beans and chickpeas, which were more suited to hotter, drier climates, and techniques like pairing two different crops in the same field to build resilience.

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Pawsey argued that the government needed to support farmers in "making a transition" towards using similar methods, and food security expert Timothy Benton endorsed farming less intensively, saying "a more circular, diverse farming system" would be more secure and less dependent on imports.

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Benton warned that "climate impacts will become greater" and "food systems will have to change", adding "We're not investing enough in the forms of technological innovation to address a larger crisis".

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According to Benton, "Food is not just food, it's what you grow, produce and the products and processes needed to bring it to the general population", highlighting the complexity of the issue.

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Climate change could also force Britain to change its eating habits, said Nicola Cannon, professor at the Royal Agricultural College, who had been growing soya with the aim of introducing it to more British farms.

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Dinnertime staples had been hit especially hard by the drought, with this year's pea yield only "50 percent of what we wanted", Cannon said, noting that there had been "very little moisture since March".

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On Pawsey's Suffolk farm, an entire crop of quinoa had failed, with Pawsey saying "We just had no rain", and "The only things that started growing were docks (leaves) and thistles".

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Shortages of certain foods may result if drought conditions continue, National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw told the BBC, warning "We have taken our food supply for granted for far too long".

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Lower yields made farming less profitable, meaning farmers would lack capital to invest in adaptation and experimenting with new crops, and buying seasonal British produce gave "farmers more market certainty which allows them to invest in adaptations", Cannon said.

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Expert Benton noted that "We've invested too much in worrying about wheat genetics and not enough about farming systems", and Prime Minister Andy Burnham's spokesperson said "Food security is national security".

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The government had promised "record investment in water infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs", but adapting food systems would require greater state intervention, Benton added, warning that "Change will be much more expensive" and "things are going to get worse in the decades ahead".

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Pawsey warned that if weather trends continued, "farmers will go out of business", and "It'll either mean higher prices or the government will have to continue to support farmers".